Alphabaetafish

It was perfect, absolutely perfect. A dark base littered with pale sedimentary inclusions, hints of ground shell littering the thickest edge before narrowing to a water-blunted tip reminiscent of a frozen dew drop. The small stone fit precariously in the male gentoo’s orange beak, a bit slippery from years of biofilm accumulation and a saltwater sheen. Finding the pebble had pushed him to his limits, lungs straining against the pressure of the ocean bearing down on him. The pale flecks caught the small amount of light that reached the limit of its dive depth, which may be why such a fine specimen had yet to be claimed. The penguin shook out his midnight feathers, fluffing against the cold as he turned south. His claws scratched against the ice floe underfoot, a slight disturbance in the waters beneath causing it to sway. The male froze with wings ajar, feeling for vibrations through the pads of his feet. When the floe settled he allowed his tense muscles to relax, shaking his head in